Annual versus Perpetual
Annual License
- Buy it and own it for one year.
- At the end of the year, you either need to uninstall the software, buy another annual license, or buy a perpetual license.
- Signed contract agreeing to those terms is required.
- Software Maintenance is included each year you renew.
- ⅓ the cost of perpetual license.
Perpetual License
- Buy it and own it forever - no renewals required.
- Also includes 1 year of maintenance (see details below).
- 3 times the cost of annual license.
Maintenance for Perpetual Licenses
The perpetual license includes 1 year of maintenance, which means that if FileMaker, Inc. releases a new version in the next year, you would get that new version for free.Maintenance is renewable every year, and is 20% of the new purchase price when renewed before the maintenance expiration date, versus getting the new version through the upgrade price, which is 60% of the new purchase price.
Important Points About Maintenance
- If you are a User Licensing or Site Licensing customer with a current Maintenance contract, you must renew your Maintenance prior to its expiration date to take advantage of the Renewal Maintenance price.
- Once your Maintenance period expires, you can take advantage of the Expired Maintenance price (40% of the new purchase price) to renew your expired Maintenance contract. Upon renewal, your new Maintenance expiration date will be set to one year from the expired Maintenance order. When you place your order for Maintenance renewal, please reference your previous license certificate number.
- If your Maintenance expires and FileMaker announces the availability of an upgrade, you will no longer be eligible for the Renewal or Expired Maintenance price. You must purchase upgrade or new product (if you don't qualify for the upgrade version) licenses to participate in the Maintenance program.
Give us a call, email us, or use the contact form below and let us save you money. We'll find the licensing option that perfectly matches your needs.
5 Year Comparison of Cost of Ownership: Upgrade Versus Maintenance
| Year | FileMaker Version | Upgrade Every Time | Stay Current in FileMaker Maintenance Program |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 13 | 60% | 100% |
| 2014 | None | 0% | 20% |
| 2015 | 14 | 60% | 20% |
| 2016 | 15 | 60% | 20% |
| 2017 | 16 | 60% | 20% |
| Total 5 Year Cost | 240% | 180% |
Connection Licenses
Connection licenses are added to FileMaker Server to allow users on a web browser connecting through WebDirect or users on the free FileMaker Go client for IOS devices to connect to databases hosted by FileMaker Server.
